Becahi grad sets record at NCC; former Konkrete Kid shines in college field hockey

A couple of Keeping in Touch items on area athletes who have continued to excel at the collegiate level:

At Northampton Community College, Bethlehem Catholic graduate Ashley McCauley has set the all-time career assist record in women's volleyball. The sophomore has 956 assists, shattering the old mark of 822 which had been in place since 2001. She can add to that total on Tuesday night when the Spartans play at Harcum College.

The Northampton CC volleyball team is 12-0 overall and ranked 9th in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III national poll.

In field hockey, Washington College junior Jackie O'Connell, a Northampton High graduate, has made a triumphant return to the sport of field hockey.

After playing basketball only for two years at Washington, located in Chestertown, Md., O'Connell decided to return to field hockey last spring. She played basketball, field hockey and softball at Northampton. As a Konkrete Kid she was a leading scorer in field hockey and played in Lehigh Valley Conference and District 11 title games.

O'Connell has started all six games for Washington (2-4) and is tied for the team lead in goals with four. She scored her team's only goals in a 4-2 loss to Johns Hopkins and had two more on Saturday in a 4-3 win over Gettysburg. She scored the game-winner on a rebound with 9:26 left.